PARLIAMENTARY INTELLIGENCE.

Marlborough Press, Volume XIII, Issue 818, 11 September 1872, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY INTELLIGENCE.

September 3. A message from the Governor was read to-day, covering an opinion of the English law officers of the Crown on the case submitted by a Conference of the two Houses last session, as to the powers of the Legislative Council regarding money bills. The law officers state that the Council’s amendment of the Payment to Provinces Act was unjustifiable, it being a money bill ; and that the Council had no power to alter or amend such bills. Also, that the privileges of the Act gave the Council no new power or privilege in this respect. Mr Fox congratulated the House on this vindication of its privileges. In reply to a question by Mr O’Neill, Mr Vogel read a long memorandum explanatory of those points in the Financial Statement which Mr Fitzherbert had impugned He said the amount set down as recoveries from Provinces was likely really to become available, as also the revenue from confiscated land. Mr Vogel also stated that he had received advices that the Sydney holders of the six per cent three years debentures, issued under the Wellington Debts Act, had accepted his oiler to exchange them for 5 per cent debentures, with 20 years currency, and no sinking fund, and at 2 per cent premium. The Province would, by this transaction, save £640 a year, and receive a cash bonus of £2OO. Mr Shepherd (Otago) resumed the “ No-Confi-dence” debate. He declared that he had lost confidence in the Opposition last year, by its leader supporting No. 2 Brogden contract. After careful enquiry, he believed that Mr Reid’s allegation of Otago having lost £60,000 by the railway contracts was mere fiction. Nothing could compensate for another Native war, yet such might result from a change of Ministry. Mr Stafford’s Government had, by its Civil Pension Acts, imposed a liability of £385,000 on tiie Colony. The present Ministry were willing to repeal these Acts. On the whole, he believed it better for the interest of the Colony that no change of Ministry should be made. September 4. Mr Webster objected to the purchase of materials for the contracts as a kind of sop the House had never intended to give Mr Brogden. He demurred to the way in which Mr M'Lean’s name had been used as a lever to prevent the House fairly deciding on the issue raised by the first resolution. The position the Government took up was, “If you interfere with our bad management of public works, you will have a Native war.” He rather hoped Ministers would retain their seats, but he could not conscientiously say no to the first resolution. Mr” Calder reviewed the various contracts, showing how the Government had exceeded their limits, and he wondered how the House had been so patient at its resolutions being so exceeded. Mr Pearce believed that the confidence of the country in Ministers was greater now than at the time of the general election, and he was quite content to leave them to take care of the interests of the country. Mr Jackson moved an amendment —“ That in the present prosperous state of the Colony, it is not desirable that there should be a change of Ministry.” Mr Harrison admitted that a reconstruction of the Cabinet might be advisable, but at present he had full confidence in the Government. Mr O’Conor supported the resolutions, and Mr O’Neill opposed them. Mr Hunter said it was unfair to judge the Ministry by part of their administration ; it should be judged as a whole, and if so, peace being the consideration paramount to all else, judgment must be in their favor. Mr Sheehan expressed his dissent from the policy of borrowing. It was with regret he had made up his mind to vote against the Government, but he could not do otherwise. He replied at some length to various previous speakers. Mr Jackson withdrew his amendment.

Mr Williamson believed that if the scheme proposed by the Government had been prudently and cautiously carried out, the House would not now have been called on to decide such a question as the one before it. He had listened attentively to the debate, and had heard nothing to

convince him that Mr Stafford was not justified in bringing his first resolution forward. Mr Andrew said he was an Arab whose hand was against both contending parties. He generally approved of Mr Stafford’s conduct, but had no confidence that he would be able to form a strong apd lasting Government from among his present followers. One the whole he preferred to entrust the carrying out of the present policy to those who stood in maternal relation to it rather than to others. Mr Tolmie- said he should vote with the Government. ’■>: September 5. Mr Ormond resumed the debate. He reviewed the whole course of the Brogden negotiations since the last session. The Colony was not, as Mr Fitzherbert had said, liable to damages for not supplying the necessary data. Nearly, if not the whole would be ready by the required date, and Mr Brogden had got as much as he needed or could utilise. The Government still felt bound to offer further work to the extent of £300,000 to Mr Brogden, and then the Colony would be free to adopt the system of open tender. The chief engineer had advised that all the prices paid to Mr Brogden were fair and reasonable, and no tender was accepted without his advice. He defended the conduct of the Government and the Agent-General regarding immigration. He accused the Wellington members of trying to rush the Government into the contract for the Masterton Railway before the House met, although the engineers advised that it would be a great waste of money to do so before the country was fully surveyed. He declared emphatically, from experience, that no Government would ever command the continued support of Mr Fitzherbert and Mr Bunny, unless it was prepared to sacrifice its duty to the rest of the Colony. If the Ministry retired it would do so with a knowledge that the country was in a more prosperous condition than ever it was in before. Mr Stafford spoke one hour and forty minutes replying at length to the various Ministerial speeches. He referred to the accusation made of having, in bis Timaru speech, advocated a policy of confiscation. His scheme then was—and he still approved of it—to settle villages every ten miles along the main arterial line of road ftom one end of the Colony to the other. About twenty such would now complete the chain, and only 40,000 acres would be required. He would still be glad to see a tentative Permissive Bill introduced. He viewed with alarm the prospect of the Colony being left in a few years witli an exhausted credit, and a large number of unfinished and totally unproductive public works. If he took office, he would make it his personal care to attend to Native matters, and would meet the Maoris face to face without the introduction of third parties. The division on Mr Stafford’s first resolution was as follows :—Ayes, 40 ; Noes, 37. Ayes—Bradshaw, Brown, (Otago), Bryce, Brandon, Buckland, Bunny, Calder, Collins, Clark, Curtis, Creighton, Fitzherbert, Gillies, Kenny, Ilallenstein, Ingles, Johnston, Mervyu, Monro, Munro, Murray, O’Conor, Reid, Richard son (Nelson). Rolleston, Sheehan, Shephard, (Nelson), Stafford, Wakefield, Webster, White, Wilson, Wood, M'Leod, Parata, Parker, (Canterbury), Swanson, Takarnoana, Thomson, Williamson. Noes—Andrew, Brown (Canterbury), Bathgate, Bluett, Carrington, Fox, Gisborne, Harrison, Hunter, Jackson, ICatene, Kelly (Tara naki), Kelly (Auckland), Luekie. Macandrew, M'Gillivray, M'Glashan, M‘Lean, O’Neill, Ormond, O’Ror'ke, Parker (Nelson), Peacock. Pearce, Reeves, Reynolds, Richardson (Canterbury), Shepherd (Otago), Steward, Studholme, Tairoa, Tribe, Vogel, Tolmie, Seymour, Rhodes, Henderson. Mr Stafford asked leave to withdraw the second and third resolutions. Mr Fox refused to allow it. On a division, the second resolution was carried by 39 to 38. The third resolution was carried by 40 to 36. The House adjourned until half-past seven on Friday. September 6. Mr Fox announced that Ministers had tendered their resignations, and now only held office till their successors were ready. He had advised the Governor to send for Mr Stafford. He desired to express his seuce of the extremelysatisfaotory relations which, during their term of office, had existed between the Governor and the Ministry. Mr Stafford announced that he had been sent for, and had accepted the task of forming a Ministry. He hoped on Tuesday to be able to make a satisfactory statement.